How BNA is building an airport for the future of Nashville and Middle Tennessee | Opinion

Doug Kreulen
·3 min read
3

Whether you are treating yourself to a vacation, visiting friends and family, or flying out of town for work, the holiday season always brings opportunity to travel.

It’s great to see travelers back in full force at Nashville International Airport (BNA) with passenger volumes eclipsing new highs at every turn. That growth is why you’ve seen a high level of construction activity at BNA over these last few years, and I want to thank you for your patience and understanding.

We know that getting into and out of the airport has taken longer than usual lately, especially during the evenings. Unfortunately, we have to modify our traffic lanes to accommodate construction, and the evenings are our times of lowest passenger volume.

We understand the frustration long lines have caused, and I want to assure you that we are working hard to minimize the impact on travelers while also completing vital construction projects on time and within budget.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

BNA Vision plan will be completed in 2023

It may not feel like it sometimes, but the need for construction is a great sign for BNA and for our city. Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation with travel and tourism breaking records in Tennessee every year. It’s important for BNA to not only match this growth, but anticipate the region’s needs for years to come.

Construction workers build the new main terminal at the Nashville International Airport Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn.
Construction workers build the new main terminal at the Nashville International Airport Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Nashville, Tenn.

The $1.5 billion BNA Vision plan, which kicked off in 2017, will be complete in 2023 with the opening of the new Grand Lobby in January and the opening of a satellite concourse, the new International Arrivals Facility and the on-site Hilton hotel later in the year.

Since BNA Vision launched, the airport’s growth has far exceeded the projections of industry experts and our own long-term strategic plan.

In fact, we’re currently running about 10 years ahead of schedule when it comes to growth of BNA. BNA serves 94 nonstop destinations, and total travel volume is already up 20% over this same time last year.

We’re the 27th largest airport in the U.S., and in a recent Forbes article, BNA was ranked 12 in J.D. Power’s 2022 recent list of the best large airports.

Sign up for Latino Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling stories for and with the Latino community in Tennessee. 

Sign up for Black Tennessee Voices newsletter:Read compelling columns by Black writers from across Tennessee. 

What’s next on the horizon?

The next phase of construction at BNA, which we’re calling New Horizon, will ensure we have the infrastructure and capacity to serve the Middle Tennessee region and beyond for years to come.

Doug Kreulen
Doug Kreulen

We just completed the new Concourse D at BNA, but it’s already time to extend that to add five additional gates, along with building a new Concourse A to add 10 additional gates. This increased capacity is important as we continue to attract new airlines and routes to serve the destinations that travelers want to visit, whether that’s in the U.S. or internationally.

We love having the nonstop London service through British Airways, and we have our sights set on adding more nonstop international service.

The future of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is exciting, and air service will be a big contributor to the success of the region as more people, businesses and tourists visit our great city.

We’re hard at work at BNA to ensure we have the world class airport Nashville needs and deserves. It takes time and a lot of construction to get us there, but I couldn’t be more excited about the future. Thank you again for your patience with our construction and support of BNA as we reach new heights together.

Doug Kreulen is president and CEO of Nashville International Airport.

BNA Vision Project Highlights

Grand Lobby

  • 24 TSA security screening gates

  • 96+ concessions and the new BNA central Marketplace

International Arrivals Facility

  • 6 International gates

  • 1,200+ passengers per hour through Customs

On-Site Hilton Hotel

  • 4-star with 292 rooms and rooftop lounge and pool

  • 2 restaurants and 6 conference rooms

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How BNA is building an airport for the Nashville area's future